Rudolf Diesel, Inventor of the Diesel Engine Rudolf Diesel, Inventor of the Diesel Engine Rudolf Diesel, Inventor of the Diesel Engine French-born German engineer and inventor Rudolf Diesel (1858 - 1913). Hulton Archive / Getty Images Share By Mary Bellis The engine that bears his name set off a new chapter in the industrial revolution , but Rudolf Diesel initially thought his invention would help small businesses and artisans, not industrialists. Early Life Rudolf Diesel was born in Paris in 1858. His parents were Bavarian immigrants, and the family was deported to England at the outbreak of the Franco-German war. Eventually, Rudolf Diesel went to Germany to study at Munich Polytechnic, where he studied engineering. After graduation he was employed as a refrigerator engineer in Paris from 1880. His true love lay in engine design, however, and over the next few years he began exploring a number of ideas. One concerned finding a way to help small businesses compete with big industries, which had the money to harness the power of steam engines . Another was how to use the laws of thermodynamics to create a more efficient engine.

In his mind, building a better engine would help the little guy. continue reading below our video Should I Roll Over my 401K to an IRA? The Diesel Engine Rudolf Diesel designed many heat engines, including a solar-powered air engine. In 1893, he published a paper describing an engine with combustion within a cylinder, the internal combustion engine . In Augsburg, Germany on August 10, 1893, Rudolf Diesel's prime model, a single 10-foot iron cylinder with a flywheel at its base, ran on its own power for the first time. That same year he published a paper describing the internal combustion engine to the world. In 1894, he filed for a patent for his new invention, dubbed the diesel engine. Diesel was almost killed by his engine when it exploded.

Diesel spent two more years making improvements and in 1896 demonstrated another model with the theoretical efficiency of 75 percent, in contrast to the ten percent efficiency of the steam engine In 1898, Rudolf Diesel was granted patent #608,845 for an "internal combustion engine." The diesel engines of today are refined and improved versions of Rudolf Diesel's original concept. They are often used in submarines , ships, locomotives, and large trucks and in electric generating plants. Rudolf Diesel's inventions have three points in common: They relate to heat transference by natural physical processes or laws; they involve markedly creative mechanical design; and they were initially motivated by the inventor's concept of sociological needs—by finding a way to enable independent craftsmen and artisans to compete with large industry. That last goal didn’t exactly pan out as Diesel expected. His invention could be used by small businesses, but it was embraced eagerly by the industrialists, as well. His engines were used to power pipelines, electric and water plants, automobiles and trucks , and marine craft, and soon after were used in mines, oil fields, factories, and transoceanic shipping.

Diesel became a millionaire by the end of the 20th century. In 1913, Rudolf Diesel disappeared en route to London while on an ocean steamer. He is assumed to have drowned in the English Channel. Inventor Rudolf Diesel vanishes - Sep 29, 1913 - HISTORY.com Inventor Rudolf Diesel vanishes Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1913, Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the engine that bears his name, disappears from the steamship Dresden while traveling from Antwerp, Belgium to Harwick, England. On October 10, a Belgian sailor aboard a North Sea steamer spotted a body floating in the water; upon further investigation, it turned out that the body was Diesel’s. There was, and remains, a great deal of mystery surrounding his death: It was officially judged a suicide, but many people believed (and still believe) that Diesel was murdered.

Diesel patented a design for his engine on February 28, 1892,; the following year, he explained his design in a paper called “Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat Engine to Replace the Steam Engine and Contemporary Combustion Engine.” He called his invention a “compression ignition engine” that could burn any fuel–later on, the prototypes he built would run on peanut or vegetable oil–and needed no ignition system: It ignited by introducing fuel into a cylinder full of air that had been compressed to an extremely high pressure and was, therefore, extremely hot. Such an engine would be unprecedentedly efficient, Diesel argued: In contrast to the other steam engines of the era, which wasted more than 90 percent of their fuel energy, Diesel calculated that his could be as much as 75 percent efficient. (That is, just one-quarter of their energy would be wasted.) The most efficient engine that Diesel ever actually built had an efficiency of 26 percent–not quite 75 percent, but still much better than its peers. By 1912, there were more than 70,000 diesel engines working around the world, mostly in factories and generators.

Eventually, Diesel’s engine would revolutionize the railroad industry; after World War II, trucks and buses also started using diesel-type engines that enabled them to carry heavy loads much more economically. At the time of Diesel’s death, he was on his way to England to attend the groundbreaking of a new diesel-engine plant–and to meet with the British navy about installing his engine on their submarines. Conspiracy theories began to fly almost immediately: “Inventor Thrown Into the Sea to Stop Sale of Patents to British Government,” read one headline; another worried that Diesel was “Murdered by Agents from Big Oil Trusts.” It is likely that Diesel did throw himself overboard–as it turns out, he was nearly broke–but the mystery will probably never be solved. Related Videos Early History of the Diesel Engine DieselNet.com. Copyright © Ecopoint Inc. Revision 2013.11 Early History of the Diesel Engine Hannu Jääskeläinen This is a preview of the paper, limited to some initial content. Full access requires DieselNet subscription . Please log in to view the complete version of this paper.

Abstract: In the 1890s, Rudolf Diesel invented an efficient, compression ignition, internal combustion engine that bears his name. Early diesel engines were large and operated at low speeds due to the limitations of their compressed air-assisted fuel injection systems. In its early years, the diesel engine was competing with another heavy fuel oil engine concept—the hot-bulb engine invented by Akroyd-Stuart. High-speed diesel engines were introduced in the 1920s for commercial vehicle applications and in the 1930s for passenger cars. High Speed Passenger Car Engines Rudolf Diesel’s Invention Rudolf Diesel, who is best known for the invention of the engine that bears his name, was born in Paris, France in 1858. His invention came while the steam engine was the predominant power source for large industries. Figure 1. Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913) In 1885, Diesel set up his first shop in Paris to begin development of a compression ignition engine. The process would last 13 years.

In the 1890s, he received a number of patents for his invention of an efficient, slow burning, compression ignition, internal combustion engine [2856] [2858] [2859] . From 1893 to 1897, Diesel further developed his ideas at Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg AG (later Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg-Nürnberg or MAN). In addition to MAN, Sulzer Brothers of Switzerland took an early interest in Diesel’s work, buying certain rights to Diesel’s invention in 1893. At MAN in Augsburg, prototype testing began with a 150 mm bore/400 mm stroke design on August 10, 1893. While the first engine test was unsuccessful, a series of improvements and subsequent tests led to a successful test on February 17, 1897 when Diesel demonstrated an efficiency of 26.2% with the engine, Figure 2, under load—a significant achievement given that the then popular steam engine had an efficiency of about 10%. The first Sulzer-built diesel engine was started in June 1898 [388] .

Additional details of Diesel’s early testing can be found in the literature [2864] Bore: 250 mm Stroke: 400 mm Development of Diesel’s invention needed more time and work to become a commercial success. Many engineers and developers joined in the work to improve the market viability of the idea created by Rudolf Diesel. He, on the other hand, became somewhat threatened by this process and was not always able to find common language with other engine designers developing his invention. Diesel’s attempts of market promotion of the not-yet-ready engine eventually led into a nervous breakdown. In 1913, deeply troubled by criticisms of his role in developing the engine, he mysteriously vanished from a ship on a voyage to England, presumably committing suicide [389] . After Diesel’s patents started to expire, a number of other companies took his invention and developed it further.

### History of Biodiesel Fuel - Pacific Biodiesel Pacific Biodiesel Home » A Clean Burning Alternative Fuel From Renewable Resources » History of Biodiesel Fuel History of Biodiesel Fuel Developed in the 1890s by inventor Rudolph Diesel, the diesel engine has become the engine of choice for power, reliability, and high fuel economy, worldwide. Early experimenters on vegetable oil fuels included the French government and Dr. Diesel himself, who envisioned that pure vegetable oils could power early diesel engines for agriculture in remote areas of the world, where petroleum was not available at the time. Modern biodiesel fuel, which is made by converting vegetable oils into compounds called fatty acid methyl esters, has its roots in research conducted in the 1930s in Belgium, but today’s biodiesel industry was not established in Europe until the late 1980s. The diesel engine was developed out of a desire to improve upon inefficient, cumbersome and sometimes dangerous steam engines of the late 1800s. The diesel engine works on the principal of compression ignition, in which fuel is injected into the engine’s cylinder after air has been compressed to a high pressure and temperature.

As the fuel enters the cylinder it self-ignites and burns rapidly, forcing the piston back down and converting the chemical energy in the fuel into mechanical energy. Dr. Rudolph Diesel, for which the engine is named, holds the first patent for the compression ignition engine, issued in 1893. Diesel became known worldwide for his innovative engine which could use a variety of fuels. Early Work The early diesel engines had complex injection systems and were designed to run on many different fuels, from kerosene to coal dust. It was only a matter of time before someone recognized that, because of their high energy content, vegetable oils would make excellent fuel. The first public demonstration of vegetable oil based diesel fuel was at the 1900 World’s Fair, when the French government commissioned the Otto company to build a diesel engine to run on peanut oil. The French government was interested in vegetable oils as a domestic fuel for their African colonies. Rudolph Diesel later did extensive work on vegetable oil fuels and became a leading proponent of such a concept, believing that farmers could benefit from providing their own fuel. However, it would take almost a century before such an idea became a widespread reality. Shortly after Dr.

Diesel’s death in 1913 petroleum became widely available in a variety of forms, including the class of fuel we know today as “diesel fuel”. With petroleum being available and cheap, the diesel engine design was changed to match the properties of petroleum diesel fuel. The result was an engine which was fuel efficient and very powerful. For the next 80 years diesel engines would become the industry standard where power, economy and reliability are required. Modern Engine, Modern Fuel Due to the widespread availability and low cost of petroleum diesel fuel, vegetable oil-based fuels gained little attention, except in times of high oil prices and shortages. World War II and the oil crises of the 1970’s saw brief interest in using vegetable oils to fuel diesel engines. Unfortunately, the newer diesel engine designs could not run on traditional vegetable oils, due to the much higher viscosity of vegetable oil compared to petroleum diesel fuel. A way was needed to lower the viscosity of vegetable oils to a point where they could be burned properly in the diesel engine.

Many methods have been proposed to perform this task, including pyrolysis, blending with solvents, and even emulsifying Sovaldi the fuel with water or alcohols, none of which have provided a suitable solution. It was a Belgian inventor in 1937 who first proposed using transesterification to convert vegetable oils into fatty acid alkyl esters and use them as a diesel fuel replacement. The process of transesterification converts vegetable oil into three smaller molecules which are much less viscous and easy to burn in a diesel engine. The transesterification reaction is the basis for the production of modern biodiesel, which is the trade name for fatty acid methyl esters. In the early 1980s concerns over the environment, energy security, and agricultural overproduction once again brought the use of vegetable oils to the forefront, this time with transesterification as the preferred method of producing such fuel replacements. Biodiesel Goes Worldwide Pioneering work in Europe and South Africa by researchers such as Martin Mittelbach furthered development of the biodiesel fuel industry in the early 1990s, with the U.S. industry coming on more slowly, due to lower prices for petroleum diesel.

Pacific Biodiesel became one of the first biodiesel plants in the United States in 1996, establishing a biodiesel production operation to recycle used cooking oil into biodiesel on the island Maui in Hawaii. The biodiesel industry became a household name in the U.S. after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 resulted in historically high oil prices and an increased awareness of energy security. As of 2005, worldwide biodiesel production had reached 1.1 billion gallons, with most fuel being produced in the European Union, although biodiesel projects worldwide have been on the rise due to rising crude oil prices and concerns over global warming. The Future of Biodiesel Fuel Due to its clean emissions profile, ease of use, and many other benefits, biodiesel is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing alternative fuels in the world. With minimal subsidy biodiesel is cost competitive with petroleum diesel, and millions of users have found and enjoyed the benefits of the fuel. The future of biodiesel lies in the world’s ability to produce renewable feedstocks such as vegetable oils and fats to keep the cost of biodiesel competitive with petroleum, without supplanting land necessary for food production, or destroying natural ecosystems in the process.

Creating biodiesel in a sustainable manner, will allow this clean, renewable, and cost effective fuel to help ease the world through increasing shortages of petroleum, while providing economic and environmental benefits well into the 21st century. Rudolf Diesel - Inventor of the Diesel Engine Rudolf Diesel By Mary Bellis Rudolf Diesel was born in Paris in 1858. His parents were Bavarian immigrants. Rudolf Diesel was educated at Munich Polytechnic. After graduation he was employed as a refrigerator engineer. However, he true love lay in engine design. Rudolf Diesel designed many heat engines, including a solar-powered air engine. In 1893, he published a paper describing an engine with combustion within a cylinder, the internal combustion engine. In 1894, he filed for a patent for his new invention, dubbed the diesel engine. Rudolf Diesel was almost killed by his engine when it exploded. However, his engine was the first that proved that fuel could be ignited without a spark. He operated his first successful engine in 1897. In 1898, Rudolf Diesel was granted patent #608,845 for an "internal combustion engine" the Diesel engine.

The diesel engines of today are refined and improved versions of Rudolf Diesel's original concept. They are often used in submarines, ships, locomotives, and large trucks and in electric generating plants. Though best known for his invention of the pressure-ignited heat engine that bears his name, Rudolf Diesel was also a well-respected thermal engineer and a social theorist. Rudolf Diesel's inventions have three points in common: They relate to heat transference by natural physical processes or laws; they involve markedly creative mechanical design; and they were initially motivated by the inventor's concept of sociological needs. Rudolf Diesel originally conceived the diesel engine to enable independent craftsmen and artisans to compete with large industry. At Augsburg, on August 10, 1893, Rudolf Diesel's prime model, a single 10-foot iron cylinder with a flywheel at its base, ran on its own power for the first time. Rudolf Diesel spent two more years making improvements and in 1896 demonstrated another model with the theoretical efficiency of 75 percent, in contrast to the ten percent efficiency of the steam engine. By 1898, Rudolf Diesel was a millionaire.

His engines were used to power pipelines, electric and water plants, automobiles and trucks, and marine craft, and soon after were used in mines, oil fields, factories, and transoceanic shipping. Hempcar.org-Rudolf Diesel  Thomas Jefferson In 1893, German inventor Rudolph Diesel published a paper entitled "The Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat Engine," which described an engine in which air is compressed by a piston to a very high pressure, causing a high temperature. Fuel is then injected and ignited by the compression temperature. Diesel built his first engine based on that theory the same year and, though it worked only sporadically, he patented it. Within a few years, Diesel's design became the standard of the world for that type of engine and his name was attached to it. Diesel thought that the United States was the greatest potential market for his engine. The first diesel built in the United States was made in 1898 by Busch-Zulzer Brothers Diesel Engine Co. The president of that company was Adolphus Busch, of Budweiser brewing fame, who had purchased North American manufacturing rights.

1 Diesel's Humanitarian Vision: Diesel originally thought that the diesel engine, (readily adaptable in size and utilizing locally available fuels) would enable independent craftsmen and artisans to endure the powered competition of large industries that then virtually monopolized the predominant power source-the oversized, expensive, fuel-wasting steam engine. During 1885 Diesel set up his first shop-laboratory in Paris and began his 13-year ordeal of creating his distinctive engine.. At Augsburg, on August 10, 1893, Diesel's prime model, a single 10-foot iron cylinder with a flywheel at its base, ran on its own power for the first time. Diesel spent two more years at improvements and on the last day of 1896 demonstrated another model with the spectacular, if theoretical, mechanical efficiency of 75.6 percent, in contrast to the then-prevailing efficiency of the steam engine of 10 percent or less. Although commercial manufacture was delayed another year and even then begun at a snail's pace, by 1898 Diesel was a millionaire from franchise fees in great part international.

His engines were used to power pipelines, electric and water plants, automobiles and trucks, and marine craft, and soon after were used in applications including mines, oil fields, factories, and transoceanic shipping. 2 DuPont, Mellon, and Hearst: Diesel expected that his engine would be powered by vegetable oils (including hemp) and seed oils. At the 1900 World's Fair, Diesel ran his engines on peanut oil. Later, George Schlichten invented a hemp 'decorticating' machine that stood poised to revolutionize paper making. Henry Ford demonstrated that cars can be made of, and run on, hemp. Evidence suggests a special-interest group that included the DuPont petrochemical company, Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon (Dupont's major financial backer), and the newspaper man William Randolph Hearst mounted a yellow journalism campaign against hemp. Hearst deliberately confused psychoactive marijuana with industrial hemp, one of humankind's oldest and most useful resources. DuPont and Hearst were heavily invested in timber and petroleum resources, and saw hemp as a threat to their empires. Petroleum companies also knew that petroleum emits noxious, toxic byproducts when incompletely burned, as in an auto engine.

Pollution was important to Diesel and he saw his engine as a solution to the inefficient, highly polluting engines of his time. In 1937 DuPont, Mellen and Hearst were able to push a "marijuana" prohibition bill through Congress in less than three months, which destroyed the domestic hemp industry. A Mystery: Diesel died under mysterious circumstances in 1913, vanishing during an overnight crossing of the English Channel on the mail steamer Dresden from Antwerp to Harwich. Diesel's death might have been suicide, accidental or an assassination. Proponents of the assassination theory point out that shortly after Diesel's death, a diesel-powered German submarine fleet became the scourge of the seas. Diesel had been friendly to France, Britain and the United States. 1 What's To Come? 2000: Volkswagen was the only manufacturer to offer passenger cars with diesel engines in the U.S. The diesel car is dead in this country, killed by cheap gasoline. However, the diesel engine is being reconsidered by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The future CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards (40 miles per gallon +) could be met with highly efficient diesel engines as are currently built and marketed in Japan.

Electric cars are another possible solution. Diesel powered vehicles have many advantages when compared to electric-vehicles. The development and implementation of biofuels in conjunction with small diesel engines could greatly reduce air pollution. References: Biodiesel History and Rudolf Diesel Share | INSIDE THE HISTORY The concept of alternative, renewable energy has been in existence for over a century. Rudolf Diesel is credited as the inventor of the first diesel engine which was originally designed to run on fuel derived from peanut oil. Rudolf Diesel was quoted as saying; "The diesel engine would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it." Unfortunately, due to the low cost of mineral oils at the time, the diesel engine was modified to run on petroleum oil. Biodiesel technology was overlooked while the demand for crude oil increased significantly as the automotive and industrial age ensued. Rudolf Diesel was well aware that renewable fuel would not be of major relevance during his lifetime when he said, "The use of vegetable oils for engine fuel may seem insignificant today.

But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time." RUDOLF DIESEL Inception of the diesel engine began in 1893 when the German inventor Rudolph Diesel published a paper called, "The Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat Engine". The paper outlined a revolutionary engine that utilized a piston to compress air, subsequently radiating high temperatures. The elevated temperature allowed the engine to run a variety of vegetable oils such as hemp and peanut oil. With heavy anticipation, Rudolf’s’ first exhibition of the diesel engine was put on display at the 1911 World's Fair in Paris receiving much acclaim. Diesel was a visionary who believed his highly efficient engine could help disassemble the monopolized energy and power industries. Unfortunately for Diesel, not everyone shared his vision as he mysteriously died in 1913. One night during a channel crossing aboard his steamboat, Diesel simply disappeared. His body was found days later in the English Channel. The ambiguous nature of his is death has never been resolved. Although, many speculators believe Diesel was assassinated by the German government in attempt to conceal diesel engine technology from the UK submarine fleet.

Ironically, shortly after Rudolf Diesels’ death, Germany introduced diesel engine U-boats. Germany categorized this as classified technology. Consequently, the petroleum industry capitalized on the moment by naming one of their by-products of the gasoline distillation process 'diesel fuel'. Within a matter of years, the fuel industry would be monopolized by petroleum producing plants thus causing the abandonment of biodiesel technology. Have More Questions About Biodiesel? See our FAQ Mr. Diesel and the original biofuels | MINDANAO POWER VENTURES. Mr. Diesel and the original biofuels Posted on March 31, 2007 by Abdel Aziz Dimapunong Mr. Diesel and the original biofuels. By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong (Abdel Azish Dimapunung) Biodix biodiesel consultant There cannot be a complete discussion on biofuels and biodiesel without mention of Mr. Rudolph Diesel, the inventor of diesel engine and a biodiesel user and visionary. And when we speak of blending one form of engine fuel like gasoline with another kind like ethanol, or fossil diesel with biodiesel, we have to learn from another inventor and pioneer of blending fuels, Mr.

Fairbanks and his associate Mr. Morse. Speaking of further development of the diesel engine, we can not overlook Ford, Cummins and Benz. Looking back at these pioneering scientists and their remarkable inventions in our search for alternative renewable energy, we realize that we are actually going back to the 19th century. We are not moving forward. History is just repeating itself after more than a century. Mr. Rudolph Diesel (1858-1913) The development of the diesel engine by Mr. Rudolph Diesel runs parallel with the use of biofuels. The diesel engine actually began using biofuels until it was replaced by fossil fuels. Now, therefore, we should not find it hard to get back to biodiesel as used by the inventor himself. As we look back to history, we find that it was global politics that relegated biofuels to the background. The story of Diesel and his diesel engine is the technical aspect of the history of biofuels. Mr. Rudolph Diesel was born to the era of the steam engine. As a scientist, Rudolph Diesel developed a theory that revolutionized the engines of his day. Diesel invented the diesel engine that was named after him.

This has been the perfect internal combustion engine in the sense that the fuel burns inside the chamber by air which is compressed to such a degree that there is an extreme rise in temperature. It does not need a lighter such as the spark plug. When fuel is injected into the piston at top dead center with the highly compressed air, the fuel is ignited by the air itself, firing the piston like a canon. Diesel designed his engine in response to the heavy resource consumption and inefficiency of the steam engine of his time. The steam engine was rated at only 12% efficiency. On February 27, 1892, Diesel filed for a patent at the Imperial Patent Office in Germany. His application was granted for a Working Method and Design for Combustion Engine. With contracts from machine manufacturers, Diesel began building working models of his engine. In 1893, the first model ran under its own power and it was rated with 26% efficiency. This was remarkable because the rating was more than double the efficiency of the steam engines that were in use. Finally, in February of 1897, he ran the first diesel engine suitable for practical use, which operated at 75% efficiency.

In 1898, Rudolph Diesel demonstrated his engine at the Exhibition Fair in Paris. This engine stood as an example of Diesel’s vision because it was fueled by peanut oil – the original pure vegetable oil (PVO) which we now call biodiesel. He thought that the utilization of PVO was the real future of his engine. That is why when we start to use PVO again, we are actually following the visions of Mr. Diesel. He hoped that it would provide a way for the smaller industries and the farmers a means of competing with the monopolizing industries. Just like what we strive for today, Mr. Diesel look at his diesel invention as an alternative for the then existing fuel consumption. Our version of today’s alternative is to replace an existing fossil fuel with a renewable pure vegetable oil (PVO). As a result of Diesel’s vision, compression ignited engines were powered by vegetable oil until the 1920’s. Today, as we try to get back to biodiesel, we are actually driving ourselves back to that era of discovery. We now wish to power our engines with biodiesel again. I should think we should call it rediscovery. The early diesel engines were so heavy for many technical reasons.

First, the cylinder of a diesel engine was naturally longer because piston displacement requires it in order to have more compression. Second, the diesel engine was heavy because of the size of the fuel injection pump. They were not really suitable for motor vehicles. Their market was for stationary use such as power for industrial and shipping in the early 1900’s. Ships and submarines benefited greatly from the efficiency of this new engine, which was slowly beginning to gain popularity. Rudolph Diesel disappeared in 1913. There were controversies and some questions about his death. Some think it might have been accidental or even a suicide. That’s what I believed in. However, others considered a possible political motivation. Whether by accident, suicide or murder, the world had lost a brilliant scientist and biofuel visionary. Thaddeus Fairbanks The idea of blending gasoline with a certain percentage of another kind of fuel such as ethanol had actually been considered by the Thaddeus Fairbanks. Yet it now appears to be an innovation, some kind of a new technology. Fairbanks, Morse & Company had its beginning in 1823 when inventor Thaddeus Fairbanks began his business in ironworks.

Fairbanks was the leading manufacturer in the United States during his time. He was the best known in the whole world until he was overshadowed by the rise to popularity of Henry Ford. Fairbanks and Morse began producing oil engines in the 1890s. We can say that Fairbanks was a contemporary of Mr. Diesel. While Diesel was working on diesel engines, Fairbanks was also working on kerosene engines. The Fairbanks and Morse gas engine was widely accepted by farmers. It was used mainly for irrigation and electricity generation. It was also used for oilfield work. In summary, Fairbanks and Morse power plants evolved by burning kerosene in 1893, then to semi-diesel engines in 1913 and to full diesel engines in 1924. Fairbanks and Morse Model Z engine (Blending gasoline with kerosene) In 1916 the company began production of the Model Z single cylinder engine in one, three and six horsepower sizes. From 1916 to 1946, Fairbanks and Morse produced over half a million units of Model Z. That was a period of 30 years.

In our estimate, about fifty thousand of these units found their way to the Philippine Islands. Most of the units were probably brought into the country by the United States army during World War II. More than a dozen of these units found their way in 1960 to our shed in Lanao Del Norte, Mindanao. My father collected them as a matter of hobby. We excavated most of them from where they were abandoned. Some of them were bought by my father “por kilo” a way of buying steel based on its weight. As I will explain later, this is the first engine that uses a blend of fuels. After the expiration of Rudolph Diesel’s of license in America in 1912, Fairbanks entered the large engine business. As noted earlier, Mr. Diesel died in 1913. Fairbanks and Morse took over the development of the diesel engine. The company’s larger Model Y semi-diesel became a standard engine of its time. The model Y was available in sizes from one through six cylinders. The Y-VA Fairbanks engine was the first high compression using full diesel. This machine was developed in Beloit and introduced in 1924.

Fairbanks and Morse continued to build diesel and gas engines. Export offices were established in Rio de Janero and Buenos Aires. The model Z engines were built into the 1970s in Mexico. An Australian branch factory, similar to the Canadian Branch operation, was also opened. Many Fairbanks engines dutifully served into the late twentieth century, Henry Ford into diesel As noted earlier, Fairbanks was the best known in the whole world until the rise of Henry Ford in the car industry. But this popularity had to do with the idea of the assembly line of production. And it had to do with the popularly known Ford Model T. Early American Ford automobiles were not diesel driven, but they were powered by ethanol. Yes, this is the ethanol that we are now considering for rediscovery. This is the ethanol that is provided for in the Philippines Biofuel of 2000. Henry Ford shared a similar vision with Rudolph Diesel. He believed that pure vegetable oil should the fuel of the transportation industry. In a partnership with Standard Oil, he helped developed the biofuel industry. But ethanol disappeared from the scene as a result of the development of the petroleum industry.

Cummins, a diesel engine mechanic inventor It was Clessie L Cummins, a mechanic-inventor who actually worked on the design problems of the diesel engine. The problems of diesel engine at that time had to do with the size and weight. There was also the issue on the instability created by its fuel system. In 1919, Cummins developed a single disk system that measured the fuel injected. Like the other early engines, Cummins’ products were stationary engines and his main market was the marine industry. It was also during the 1920’s that diesel engine manufacturers created a major challenge for the biofuel industry. Diesel engines were altered to utilize the lower viscosity of the fossil fuel residue rather than a biomass based fuel. The petroleum industries were growing and establishing themselves during this period. Their business tactics and the wealth that many of these oil tycoons already possessed greatly influenced the development of all engines and machinery. It was in the 1920s that the alteration to the original engines was first introduced as a step in the elimination of the production structure for purely vegetable oils. It was also a step in forcing the concept of biomass as a potential fuel base into obscurity, erasing the possibilities from the public awareness.

In 1929, the Stock Market crashed. This brought the threat of bankruptcy to Cummins. In an innovative move, however, he installed a diesel engine in a limousine and took his backer, Irwin, for a ride, assuring further investment. Cummins continued to experiment with the diesel motor vehicles. In 1931, Cummins set a speed record and distance record by driving a truck with a Cummins diesel engine coast to coast in the United States. With this distance, Cummins established an endurance record of 13,535 miles at Indianapolis Speedway. Cummins’ diesel engines were then established and trucks as well as other fleets began using them. Over the years, Cummins has continued to improve the efficiency of the diesel engine, providing technological innovations. Their engines have set a high standard for the industry. The Mercedes Benz diesel engines. The 1920’s brought a new injection pump design, allowing the metering of fuel as it entered the engine without the need of pressurized air and its accompanying tank. The engine was now small enough to be mobile and utilized in vehicles. In 1936, Mercedes Benz built the first automobile with a diesel engine.

These were dependable, enduring automobiles that lasted well into the second half of the 20th century. The oil crisis The 1970’s arrived and the riding public, who were firmly dependent on foreign oil, yet, unaware of the depth of their dependence, were suddenly faced with a crisis. In 1973, OPEC, the Middle Eastern organization controlling the majority of the world’s oil, reduced the supply of oil and raised the price, sending the United States and other countries into a crisis. Long lines at pump stations started to appear. I was among them. I remember the gas ration system. This crisis was recreated in 1978. Long lines became more longer at the gas pumps. People panicked as they realized that they depended on the consistent supply of oil – foreign oil. Conservation and alternatives became important. Because of the oil crisis, the riding public looked to diesel fuel which was more efficient and economical and they began buying diesel-powered automobiles. These automobiles include the Mercedes Benz, Isuzu Volkswagen, plus a good portion of Audi, Volvo and Datsun during the 1970’s. For the first time, American manufacturers began producing automobiles with diesel engines.

General Motors made and sold diesel automobiles in the late 1970’s, accounting for 60% of all diesel sales in the United States. This surge of diesel only started to decline in the 1980’s when the price of oil had been re-stabilized. Along with this, the automobiles produced by General Motors were basically converted gasoline engines. No war for oil As we entered the 21st Century, we had become conscious of and focus on our environment, clean air, the greenhouse effect, and pollution. It has become fashionable to speak of alternative energy, renewable energy, bioethanol, biodiesel, and many kinds of biofuels. Laws were passed in many countries. Nations discussed oil supply and the reduction of dependence on fossil fuel. Then came the Iraq War. On March 20, 2003, the United States and it allies invaded Iraq. There was debate on the reason why was erupted. Was it because of the so-called Weapons of Mass Destruction? Was it because of oil? Looking forward to the future, our dependency on foreign oil and its rising prices as well as probable instability due to conflicts that could lead to more wars will drive us to explore alternatives with more open minds.

Rudolf Diesel Rudolf Diesel Location of death: English Channel Cause of death: Suicide Remains: Missing, lost at sea Gender: Male Nationality: Germany Executive summary: Inventor of the diesel engine German engineer Rudolf Diesel invented the pressure-ignited heat engine, adapting the internal combustion engine so that a spark is no longer needed to ignite the fuel-air mixture. His parents were Bavarian by ancestry, but lived in Paris until being forced out of France at the 1870 outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. The family settled in England, but due to financial pressures young Rudolf was sent to live with relatives in Augsburg, where he became fascinated by engineering through frequent visits to the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. He studied under Karl von Linde at Technical University Munich, and later worked at Linde's refrigeration company (now Linde AG).

Inspired by Sadi Carnot 's writings to create a more efficient engine, he began working on his project in 1885, and eventually secured financial support from Maschinenfabrik Augsburg (forerunner of Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-N�rnberg and the present-day MAN Diesel) and Friedrich Krupp AG (now ThyssenKrupp). He received a patent for his heat-driven oil engine, now called the diesel engine, in 1892, and powered up the first working diesel engine � fueled by peanut oil � on 10 August 1893. After working out some problems with the design, he introduced a 25-horsepower, four-stroke, single cylinder compression engine in 1897, which gained widespread use after being displayed in the Munich Exhibition of 1898. The diesel engine is an internal-combustion, compression-ignition mechanism which works by heating fuels (either petroleum-based or bio-derived) and causing the fuel to ignite. Driven solely by high compression in its cylinders, the diesel engine is generally more energy-efficient, quieter, and needs less maintenance and repairs than other internal combustion engines.

As Diesel himself wrote, "It is the diesel's higher compression ratio that leads to its greater fuel efficiency. Because the air is compressed, the combustion temperature is higher, and the gases will expand more after combustion, applying more pressure to the piston and crankshaft". The diesel engine was adapted for use in automobiles, marine engines, trains, electric power generation, factories, farm machinery, mining, and oil drilling apparatus. Diesel sold the American rights to his invention to brewer Adolphus Busch , while in Europe MAN Diesel still operates a facility on the site where the machine was invented. In addition to his engineering work, Diesel warned of the dangers of air pollution, and wrote a book-length treatise on the human condition, suggesting that businesses should be employee-owned. While crossing the English Channel on the steamer Dresden on 29 September 1913, Diesel vanished. His coat was found, neatly folded, on the ship's deck. By the time his body was found floating at sea more than a week later, it was so decomposed, fish-eaten and bug-infested that the fishermen who discovered the corpse did not want it aboard their vessel.

Instead they gathered some personal effects from Diesel's pockets, items later identified by his son, and left the body to drift away in the water. Numerous competing theories sprang up after his death, maintaining that Diesel had fallen or been pushed overboard, possibly by French spies who did not want Diesel's engines to power German submarines. Given his financial troubles at the time, however, as well as a prior nervous breakdown and his erratic behavior in the months before the end of his life, suicide is the most likely possibility. Father: Theodor Diesel (leather worker) Mother: Elise Strobel

Question: What was the first name of Mr. Diesel, the inventor of the Diesel engine?
Answer: RUDOLF